Culture Milk2015-01-27T17:14:08Zhttp://culturemilk.com/feed/atom/WordPressShawn Wilkinshttp://culturemilk.com/?p=33652015-01-27T17:14:08Z2015-01-25T23:31:31Zread more »]]>
Nintendo is not bringing the non-XL new 3DS to America. This bothers me heavily, but the main reasoning behind this strategy can be credited to Nintendo thinking that we are already spoiled with the XL and that putting the regular version on store shelves will result in wasted shelf space. This is nothing other than a classic case of Nintendo of America taking their feedback to incomprehensible levels.

Nintendo has a track record of evaluating feedback and going to absolute extremes in response. The 2DS is essentially a release based on criticisms that the 3DS is too expensive for your “average person,” even though that same person is still fond of the titles released on the system. Nintendo was (and is) already losing money on the creation of their consoles, so they can’t slash prices again. Instead, they made a cheap device assembled with cheap hardware in order to allow people to both buy the device, enjoy the games, and get their feet wet with Nintendo’s ever-growing number of titles. This is Nintendo taking feedback to support the consumer, but the new 3DS being held hostage in every water surrounding the US is a different story.

During the Nintendo 3DS XL launch, Americans hyped the XL to a level that has yet to be seen elsewhere for any neighboring console. People scoffed at the idea of someone buying a regular 3DS with such crass it seemed as if Nintendo planned to rerelease the Virtual Boy. We kept this up for years until Nintendo finally flooded the market with XLs and only put out a few regular 3DS units on shelves. This tactic is fine, in theory, since Americans were exclusively buying the XL console at the time. However, it resulted in the eventual downfall of the regular 3DS.

As Nintendo of America would put it:

Different territories make their own business decisions regarding individual products and timing. We think New Nintendo 3DS XL makes the most sense for our market. Nintendo makes different systems at different price points for a whole range of consumers, and New Nintendo 3DS XL simply expands those choices even further.

This, in essence, means that because enthusiasm for the regular 3DS has dwindled in America, Nintendo believes that the 3DS XL opens up options as far as sales go. They think consumers across the board enjoy the XL more, so there’s no reason to give shelf space to the regular 3DS. It’s a very Nintendo way of acting when it comes to business decisions, but you can’t throw a rock in any direction and expect it to land without hitting at least three people who are upset that the regular-sized handheld isn’t coming to the US.

The regular new 3DS is regarded as one of the most attractive consoles Nintendo has ever released. The slim, sleek form of it, the usage of classically colored buttons to pay homage to the original Super Nintendo/Famicom, and, most of all, the interchangeable faceplates. All of these design decisions come together to give consumers a sense of the charm that Nintendo is known for. Nintendo, across all platforms, above all other consoles, is known for its games being pure fun and its charm being unparalleled.

With the US launch of the new 3DS XL, Nintendo of America is showing, once again, that it still has a seemingly skewed view of its Western audience. Throughout the years, Nintendo has always seen Americans as tough, hardcore, vigorous people. It’s not hard to imagine why Nintendo is essentially limiting us to such behavior and no longer allowing us to get things that we, as consumers, know we want. Even looking at the options as far as the XL goes, we are getting red and black, and two dark-colored limited edition consoles – no blue.

The main problem with the reasoning behind Nintendo’s decision to not release the new regular 3DS in America is that it’s factoring in the number of people who chose the 3DS XL, but it sidelines the reasons as to why people chose the XL. During its debut, the XL was seen as a superior console because of its hardware design, enhanced screens, and longer lasting battery. For those unaware, the standard 3DS has a battery life of approximately 5 hours with 3D on – aka horrible. With the new 3DS, you get one of the best hardware revisions, you get a bigger screen over the standard 3DS, and, on top of that, you get decent battery life to boot. With all of these things coupled into one system, the new 3DS can be seen as the original 3DS perfected. With the new 3DS XL, we get more of the same, albeit with more processing power. In shorter terms, the XL is essentially going from a 5 to a 5S, while the regular 3DS (in other ways) is going from a 4 to a 5. It’s Nintendo blindsiding the reasoning but going directly to what charts show and what money says.

Still, Nintendo is one of my favorite companies. They’ve released games that I still play today, get frustrated at, and play some more. They’ve made consoles that I’ve waited in the rain to get my hands on because I couldn’t wait to hear Mario’s “wa-hoo!” or save Princess Peach once again. I’ve been a Nintendo fan for eons and have no plans on stopping, but unfortunately, this is the first time in recent years that I can genuinely say I feel dissappointed in Nintendo. They’ve always been behind in terms of what they do with their Internet infrastructure, but I’ve always felt safe to say that Nintendo delivers products that I want and knows exactly how to make a perfect game. Sadly, I do not want the new 3DS XL. I would never be able to buy it without a lingering hint of guilt or dismay. That said, I’d like to see Nintendo somewhere down the line choose to release the new 3DS, but honestly, I don’t know if Nintendo is listening to feedback or cares that much about the words we say as opposed to the money we spend.

When they come for her, Sergeant Parks keeps his gun pointing at her while two of his people strap her into the wheelchair. She thinks they don’t like her. She jokes that she won’t bite. But they don’t laugh.

Melanie is a very special girl.

The second book up this month is The Girl With All the Gifts by M.R. Carey, obtainable through Amazon, iBooks, and Google Play. It’s a spooky new take on the zombie genre sure to make it impossible to sleep through these chilly October nights. This novel features guns, psychotic behavior, and a ton of mind games. Let’s get started!

Same as last month, there will be a podcast up on the first of November, a discussion following it, and we’ll vehemently encourage you all to read along with us even if it requires deadly force, but we do it out of love.

]]>Book Club Teamhttp://culturemilk.com/?p=33452014-10-02T00:13:44Z2014-10-01T20:09:42Zread more »]]>

We’re back! We also never left! We’re here with our first round table podcast where we discuss the sci-fi adventure novel Illusive by Emily Lloyd-Jones. We spent the month of September reading the book, taking notes, and poorly recording ourselves when talking about it, so here’s the final product. Although this is our first foray into podcasting, and our first recording is a bit rough around the edges because of it, we’re still excited to share it with you all. And we’re excited to have you listen to it!

]]>Book Club Teamhttp://culturemilk.com/?p=33172014-09-01T19:19:33Z2014-09-01T19:30:42Zread more »]]>

When the MK virus swept across the planet, a vaccine was created to stop the epidemic, but it came with some unexpected side effects. A small percentage of the population developed superhero-like powers. Seventeen-year-old Ciere Giba has the handy ability to change her appearance at will. She’s what’s known as an illusionist… She’s also a thief.

After a robbery goes awry, Ciere must team up with a group of fellow super-powered criminals on another job that most would consider too reckless. The formula for the vaccine that gave them their abilities was supposedly destroyed years ago. But what if it wasn’t?

The lines between good and bad, us and them, and freedom and entrapment are blurred as Ciere and the rest of her crew become embroiled in a deadly race against the government that could cost them their lives.

The first book up this month is Illusive, a sci-fi adventure novel by Emily Lloyd-Jones (Amazon, iBooks, Google Play). Super powers, criminals, and a deadly virus. All of us were intrigued by the plot, and with a tagline that compares the story to X-Men and Ocean’s Eleven, we couldn’t pass it up.

We’ll have a podcast up on the 1st of October and a new book announced then as well. We can’t wait to see what you all have to say about Illusive at the end of the month, and we’re excited to follow the online discussion along with it!

Everyone loves books, right? Of course. A literal 100% of people on this green and luscious Earth love reading books. Knowing that, it is my pleasure to announce the Culture Milk Book Club! The team consists of me, Brittany Stevens, and Gianna Gargiulo. Each month, we’ll be reading and discussing a new book from a specific genre. And each discussion will feature a guest reader to facilitate our literary dialogue. But to kick things off for the first month (and to undoubtedly iron out some kinks), it’s just us! It’s going to be fun and exciting for anyone who loves books everyone. It doesn’t matter who you are or where you come from, you can be a part of this. All you need is a copy of the book in any form you choose and the ability to read it. That’s it. We’ll officially start the Book Club on September 1st and begin a new book on the first of every subsequent month. We’ll end each month with a small podcast acting as a round table discussion. You can read along with us and contribute in the comments and on Twitter too. Everyone is invited to join us!

With the Book Club, Culture Milk is ushering in an idea that Brittany and I have wanted to get off the ground for some time — the idea of being able to read books with friends and passionately talk about them is something that we both have been eager to start doing. Couple that with all of you reading along with us and joining in on the discussion makes it beyond exciting. We’re both ecstatic and you should be too.

The Book Club is organized around a relaxed, easy-to-follow schedule. On the first of every month, you’ll see a post with a new book, a quick blurb about it, a few links to purchase it, and a short paragraph offering some pre-reading thoughts. Below that, you’ll see a podcast link to the three of us talking about the book. Isn’t that exciting? You’re darn tootin’ it is.

Unfortunately, you’ll have to wait a few more days (until September 1st to be exact) to see what we’ll be reading. This post is just to let you all know what’s coming, what it’ll be like, and to allow you some time to adjust schedules, free up time, or do whatever! It’s all up to you, but we’d all love to have as many people as possible reading with us and contributing to the discussions. Lastly, if you’d like to be a guest reader on the podcast or have a great novel you think we should know about for future months, let us know!

Retro gaming is something that I’m relatively new to. Playing older consoles, growing a collection, modding them to look better, enjoying the games themselves solely for the fun factor – it’s all exciting. In experiencing these games, the realization of my obsession is rooted well beyond the games themselves and more in the ability to own physical cartridges, pop them in, and play the games as they were originally intended to be played.

I’ve been a gamer for years. I’ve been gaming ever since my grandparents gave me a Gameboy, but that’s a story for another time. When it came to gaming back then, physical was the only option. You purchased the game at a brick and mortar store or you simply did not play the game through any legal means. I went to stores, purchased games, sat down, popped them in, and played them nearly religiously. The sound of the click every time I inserted a cartridge into my Nintendo 64 was well worth it. I didn’t appreciate it then, but the crisp sound of affirmation is one I can’t emulate through any means.

When revisiting old cartridges I’ve had for years, the idea of sitting in front of a TV and playing them like I was a child again was one I simply couldn’t shake. It took priority in my life, and getting a CRT TV became the only thing I cared about. In came Craigslist and out came me with a Sony Trinitron weighing 120 pounds (oh my God). Plopping it in a corner of my room with my Gamecube and Nintendo 64 hooked up to it, it was time to game. The simple act of popping in games and pressing the power button made me feel as if the best decision of my life was sitting right in front of me. I felt the ease of use in Nintendo’s analog buttons on each console, I felt the joy of knowing I could pop in any game I own and be thrown directly into a world where the game was champion of my senses. It was a nostalgic, euphoric feeling.

Owning games is one thing I found myself trying to somehow replicate from childhood. As a child, I had the mentality that if I wanted a game, the easiest way to get it was to sell 99% of everything I had. So, because of childhood ignorance and an EBGames being too close to where I lived, I eventually lost most of my gaming lifestyle. I was sitting there with one Nintendo 64 game, three Gamecube ones, and a face that was busy sweeping dust off the floor. However, thanks to the Internet, this time I came out with… a lot of games.

While playing these games, I eventually came to the realization that owning physical media will always be a thing I opt-in for if I can. Physical media will always be near and dear to my heart. The act of building a collection, feeling the cartridge slide out of your fingertips and into its perfected slot, the sight of each specific console’s loading screen — nothing beats it. It’s a feeling that is incomparable. Owning digital titles is easier, surely; you get to download your titles easily, save them directly to your device, access them with incredible ease, but you lose everything I love about ownership.

There’s a subtle beauty in simply doing things. There’s an obvious beauty in doing things you love doing, but have no reason to explain. To me, that’s owning physical items and being able to tactically put them in the place they were purposefully designed for. The tedious procedures someone incurs by using physical media are the acts I find joyous. Physical media will always be important in my life — always. Although, I did grow up in an age where physical media was my only option and anything that allows me to feel like a child again, I’ll take it.

Creating is something that everyone can do. We can all look at a problem and innovate upon or transform it into something that doesn’t fit the mold of what was once standard. The trouble, however, is that nobody is doing it. As a writer, I find myself running into this very problem. I do things that are considered creative within my field, but people will often assume I only do one thing. That couldn’t be further from what I’m trying to persuade you to believe.

In many instances, writing is difficult. Having the ability to coherently pour out my thoughts and feelings on a topic without sounding overbearing is challenging. It takes time, a hint of elegance, and way too much effort for your average person. The difference for me is that I enjoy it. I enjoy writing and being able to think, type my thoughts out, and display them for the world to see. If I didn’t, you wouldn’t be reading this now. But what I don’t enjoy is writing about what everyone else is writing about. It’s simply a waste of time; it’s unnecessary for me to write about news that you can get from another site or to fluff up a piece that isn’t gripping any audiences. Nothing about it is interesting.

That’s why I try to do new things. Recently, I took over Blue Sun. Its first incarnation was a site that dabbled in the standard gaming fray, but I’m aiming to make it something more novel. Why talk about games on a superficial level when we can talk about the overarching themes and motifs of games, or the messages companies are pushing, or the influence gaming has on certain people? The topics you discuss dictate the audience you receive. If you write about things you have no interest in, then what are you writing for? Creativity doesn’t evolve if you allow yourself to grow jaded by the thoughts of everyone else.

There’s so much that all of us can create, but so little of us want to do it. So little of us want to go against the grain because it proves to be unpopular. People only want to see a nicely designed site and don’t care about the content on said site. People only want to see what they’ve already read on other sites because it gives them the option to replace an old blog with a new, nicely designed one. The problem with this mindset is that it limits creativity. When people look at what you create, you should feel pride and accomplishment. When you become proud of mimicking the next guy, you aren’t contributing anything worthwhile.

Creativity in writing isn’t something that comes easily. It’s hard to do, it’s hard to create. It’s hard to even bother if you walk in knowing you’re taking such a big risk. However, people like risk and people like to see personal challenges being put to the forefront. Writing is a skill, and it takes time to become a decent writer at best. Creativity has no prerequisite. Creativity is innate. Anyone can be creative. When you pair your creativity with your writing, you’re already ahead of the game and on your way to birthing something new.

At the end of the day, writing isn’t something that people want to do for an array of reasons. They may find it boring, difficult, and useless. Many times, it is just that. However, when you decide to write about something you find interesting and let your mind do all the typing, you create something that no else can. No one else can talk about what’s on your mind. No one else can speak with the same intensity that you do. No one else can write with your voice. Creativity in writing is a must and it’s pretty much all people want these days. No one wants the same exact thing, so why give it to them?

Jared Sinclair is mostly known for his previous offerings in the App Store: Pillboxie is a medication management app (Jared’s a registered nurse), and Riposte is an innovative App.net client — co-created with Jamin Guy — that demonstrates some incredibly original mechanics that make it a favorite among users of the ADN platform. Some time ago, Jared announced that he was working on his own RSS app specifically for the iPhone. All he teased was a splash page, but folks who were familiar with Jared’s previous work immediately grew excited. For good reason. Released today, Unread enters the RSS arena, which is largely dominated by the darling Reeder. That could change today because Unread is far and away the best RSS app I’ve used on iOS.

It’s fair to ask how Unread could possibly unseat Reeder for the RSS crown. It’s hard to put into words, honestly. Reeder 2.x feels like an update that is trying to fit in on iOS 7, and does so admirably, while Unread is made for iOS 7. There’s no legacy cruft to deal with or think about.

The gestures-driven UI is a joy to use. As Jared himself said, you "swipe-to-do." Swiping left goes back, right brings up various options, and pulling down refreshes. It’s all incredibly intuitive, and it’s something you have to use to appreciate. The app sports gorgeous typography — mainly Whitney — and has multiple themes, some of which you’re going to work really hard to get.

Unread has most of the features you’d come to expect from a modern RSS client. Feed Wrangler, Feedly, and my personal favorite, Feedbin are all supported in Unread 1.0. There are tons of sharing options that take advantage of Sinclair’s custom Overshare. You’ll also find an in-app browser that shows off more original gesturing. But with Unread, none of that is the focus. Sure, you have loads of features to play with, but the true beauty of the app lies in the unobstructed reading view. RSS can quickly become a chore, and Unread does a great job of making me want to read again. I won’t describe every feature in detail as I think you need to try it for yourself, but suffice it to say, it does everything I need it to. The attention to detail, from animations to user experience, is something I haven’t seen since the days of Tweetie 2.

Maybe I’m praising it too much, but I’ve become a superfan of Unread in just a couple of weeks, and I can’t wait to see how the app grows. You can get Unread in the App Store for $2.99 for a limited time.

UPDATE:

We’re doing a giveaway! Follow the tweet, win one of three codes for the app!

If you want to win your own copy or @unread_app, retweet this tweet and be sure to follow. We can't DM you if you don't follow us!

Due to the subject matter this film is a hard sell for me – it’s just not my type. That said, Leo and Jonah are both fantastic actors who put on some of the best performances of their careers. However, when watching the film, it felt like osmething better described as a modern Tarantino-esque spinoff of The Great Gatsby. Although, that may be due to residual bits of Leo’s performance in the Luhrmann adaptation earlier this year.

There are definitely genuine laughs, but a lot of the humor is so coarse that it borders on The Hangover-level scenarios that are just hard for me to get excited about (read: midget dartboard). The best moments are when the actors have a chance to open up: the pen scene at the diner, for example.

Technically, this film is a mess and the editing is pretty awful (probably due to the extremely rushed release schedule – it feels like a solid rough cut, especially toward the beginning). Prieto doesn’t bring much to the table, lighting or composition-wise, and the music never quite fits the way it could for this kind of film. As a whole package, it just doesn’t deliver the way I’d expected from a Hollywood legend.

Be sure to follow me on Letterboxd to keep up with my reviews and opinions on films!

I bought a 2DS. Upon ordering the handheld, I knew exactly what I was signing up for and what the system could and, ultimately, could not do. However, after purchasing the little brother to the 3DS XL, there’s so much left to be said. There are no reviews that talk about the obvious differences in usage between one and the other. I see great reviews of the product itself as a standalone, but it lives in a family alongside a stepbrother who looks a little bit like it and an older brother who pretty much hands down his clothes directly to him. It’s a weird metaphor, but you’ll understand it soon enough.

When I got home with the 2DS, I’ll admit that I was a bit disappointed at the idea of owning both a 3DS XL and a 2DS, but after a few hours of owning both, I’m slowly beginning to realize that while they do the same things, they’re very different from each other as products. Looking back, Nintendo released a handheld called the DSi XL in 2009; the goal for this console was very clear. Every commercial, ad, or sales pitch revolved around the idea of having this thing kept at home, sitting on a desk, and played for a few minutes throughout the day. The 3DS XL is also in this same vein. It’s true that after playing a 2DS, the XL seems monstrous. I did have to get accustomed to the 2DS’ smaller screen size (same as the original 3DS), but after a while, it simply felt more portable. The ruggedness, the grip that allows you to assuredly hold the entire console, and the dense buttons make it feel like a stocky piece of hardware.

Unfortunately, the biggest problem I’ve found was that it feels stocky in a childlike way. The 2DS is made to be suitable for children, so the toughness of the device wasn’t unexpected. However, the same way the hardware feels a bit childlike-tough, other small details of the machine also echo this design sentiment — sliders are difficult to adjust and styli are unresponsive. The stylus itself is placed a bit higher on the 2DS than on the 3DS XL, but popping the stylus out takes more energy than it probably should. It’s not as fluid as it is on the bigger device, making the quick actions I needed within Pokemon X feel sluggish. These are not necessarily negative traits when you keep in mind that the device was made with smaller kids in mind, but it’s something that may bother older, detail-oriented players.

While messing around with the 2DS, I noticed that either my hand placement was wrong or my hands are too small or large to operate it properly without a bit of fatigue. For instance, my left hand’s ring finger and pinky tire quickly. When playing, the left is where the majority of the 2DS’ weight is placed, seeing as that’s where I must hold it during stylus-intensive sessions. It’s also where the joystick is placed, and idle playing has me holding the device with that one hand. The overall grip of the device, however, is stellar. I feel as if my hands are enveloped around the handheld, granting me complete control over it. Part of me wonders why Nintendo did not market the 2DS as a 3DS that lets you hold it like a Gameboy. On the eve of its announcement, Nintendo released a ton of NES games on the eShop, and the 2DS is arguably the perfect device for playing them. Holding the 2DS feels like a home console controller as opposed to half of a portable one. It feels right. It feels like it was made to play games on, and it’s shocking to see it not being flaunted anywhere.

If you’re transitioning from a 3DS XL to a 2DS, you will feel like you’ve downgraded for a short period of time. You’ll probably convince yourself that it was a good purchase while having that lingering thought that the 2DS does nothing more than your beloved XL. These statements are entirely true when you try to compare two devices from the same line together. However, the devices were made for different purposes and different types of people. To help connect this with something you’re all familiar with, it’s akin to the iPad Air and the iPad Mini. Like the iPad Air, an XL is too big for certain situations. A 2DS is a more portable, smaller, compact device that does everything it should on a level that I didn’t know existed. The 3DS is a compact device in itself, but it doesn’t appeal to those people who want something sturdy, small, and useful. The 2DS, on the other hand, is exactly that.

There are things that the 2DS simply cannot do that the 3DS XL can. There are also concerns that stem from viewing a simple technical specifications page: the 2DS boasts a mono speaker and not a stereo one. Simply put, its sound quality pales to that of the 3DS’, but it does not sound horrible. It’s definitely something worth checking out on your own since preferences vary, but it’s something that you need to be aware of before diving in. Another concern is the use of one screen instead of two. Nintendo is infamously, and arguably ingeniously, using one screen for both the top “screen” and the “touchscreen.” Thus, the notion is that the screen uptop would look absolutely horrible, but Nintendo manages to make it look crisp and gorgeous. When compared to an original 3DS, things look as if they’re being made with premium materials.

The feel of the 2DS is something that is simply unparalleled. It feels perfectly compact in my hands. That with the smaller screen size makes it feel like one solid device that can’t be compared to anything else on the market. The only time I’ve seen something as fitting as the 2DS was when the Gameboy Advance hit the shelves. That same feel of personality and use reigns true here in the 2DS.

The 2DS is a new Nintendo gaming device. It’s not a new thing that does new things; it’s a new dog learning classic tricks. The compactness of it reminds me of a Gameboy. The screen size makes things look crisp, clear, and perfected. The overall device is something that I feel okay walking out of the house with and pulling out at any given moment. It doesn’t require much to turn on and get going, nor does it feel like a commitment like the XL does. It looks solid, yet goofy. It’s a nice mix of hardware design and usability that I rarely get to see. If you’re in the market for a 3DS of some sort, you have a few variables to consider. There are things presented here that will either make you adore the idea of the 2DS or push you towards an XL. The 2DS sets the bar at a level that I don’t think any other company is reaching for. While that may sound like an unnecessary challenge for Nintendo, it’s proving to be a new starting line.